Hollywood makes the stars but some actors with the talent, sometimes never make it big. Here is just a small sampling of those particular actors. With the talent and the good looks, if Hollywood just gave them a break, then maybe they would be more well-known today and their memory wouldn't be forgotten. Of course, this is just a sampling of actors that are forgotten today. There are numerous actors and actresses out there, whose talents were lost and forgotten about, that I will write about in a future post.
Marc Platt -
Born: December 2nd 1913
Marc Platt was a gifted and an extremely talented dancer, who appeared in several well-known musicals but his career never made the jump up from side actor. While his dancing was memorable, his performances were usually overshadowed by the lack of air time he had. Marc Platt has appeared in such films as "Tonight and Every Night"(1945), Seven Brides for Seven Brothers(1954), and "Down to Earth"(1947). Platt was in the original Broadway production of "Oklahoma" as the Dream Curly but when the film was made in 1955, his role in the film was minimized drastically and he just appeared as 'dancer' in the film.
Patric Knowles-
Born: November 11th 1911
Death: December 23rd 1995
Patric Knowles was more well-known for playing Errol Flynn's sidekick than anything else but there was more to this actor, than being a sidekick. Patric appeared in several successful films such as "The Wolf Man"(1941), "How Green was My Valley"(1941), and "Kitty"(1945). With the acting abilities to put to shame many other actors, Knowles impressed in several films, such as "The Charge of the Light Brigade"(1936). Unlike the short career of Marc Platt, Knowles continued to work up until 1973 at the age of 62. His most successful years for acting was during the late 1930's and into the 1940's. By the 1950's, Knowles career was more onto television than where he got his big break in the movies.
Jeffrey Lynn
Born: February 16th 1909
Death: November 24th 1995
Jeffrey Lynn was so good at playing the good guy, he was usually stuck playing them. When he got the chance to play Kurt Franken, a nazi soldier in "Underground"(1941), it showed the audience that he could act and he was more versatile than once thought. When names were being passed around for the role of Ashley Wilkes in the epic hit, "Gone With the Wind"(1939), Lynn seemed to be a top runner but because of being rather unknown, they tossed him aside and gave the role to Leslie Howard, who felt that he was too old for the part. Just imagining, if he had gotten the role, he might be better remembered today. Aside from "Underground", Lynn excels in the "Four Daughters"(1938,1939, and 1941) films and makes any girl watching, fall for him. When Lynn went off to fight for his country, it seemed Hollywood forgot him and his chance at getting a juicy role was lost forever.
Phillip Reed
Born: March 25th 1908
Death: December 7th 1996
Phillip Reed was a character actor, who occasionally would get bigger role in his 32 years in the film and television industry. He was most notably known for playing the villain but in "The Last of the Mohicans"(1936), Reed played Uncas, a gentle and sweet Native American who steals the entire film away from Randolph Scott. His versatility was rarely shown but when you did get a chance to see it, you were immediately enthralled by his performance. Because of his dark looks, Reed often played characters of ethnicity such as his role as Uncas or his role as Red Hawk in "Davy Crockett, Indian Scott".
Because they never were able to have a chance at fame, I'm going to be one of the people to remember their legacies and to keep on watching their performances. True talent was in these four men but the opportunity to show it was never accomplished. So the next time, you are watching a movie and an actor comes on the screen and you are unfamiliar with them, do a little research and find out who they were. A little attention pressed upon them, when their performances are amazing, means a lot to the fans of them and probably would mean a lot to them too.
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